NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers will have a busy schedule in August

It's time for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams to make sure their haulers are tuned-up and ready to hit the road. After not racing since July 12, they're going to log plenty of miles in August.

Saturday's event at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway starts a stretch of five races in the next 28 days. After Riverhead, the Tour hits Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway next Friday and Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on Aug. 13.

The crown jewel of the 25th-anniversary Tour schedule, however, is the Aug. 19 night race at the famed Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Speed Channel will televise it on a 30-minute delay.

"That's what's going to make our sport grow or not grow," said Glen Reen of Wilbraham. "We're finally getting TV coverage, and a 30-minute delay is as good as live."

The five-race stretch ends Aug. 29 at Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome.

To say Donny Lia is the prohibitive favorite to win at Riverhead would not be a stretch. Lia, of Jericho, N.Y., cut his racing teeth at the Long Island quarter-mile and has won four of the last eight Tour stops there.

That kind of success would give many other drivers a great boost of confidence, but Lia thinks there's still more he can learn about his home track.

"I've run there quite a bit, and I still don't feel like I have it figured out," Lia said. "I don't know that you ever have Riverhead figured out. There's such a fine line there of over-driving the corners. The old adage of 'slower is faster' applies there to the fullest extent."

Lia will have stiff competition from points leader Ted Christopher, who has four career Riverhead victories and has finished in the top-10 in his last 10 Tour races dating back to last season.

Many of Riverhead's weekly competitors will also be vying for spots in the field, as Riverhead has similar Modified rules and specifications as the Tour cars. Here are some of those Riverhead regulars in action, circa 2007:

TO THE EDGE: The NASCAR Camping World East Series has been on a similar layoff as the Modified Tour and is also back on the track this weekend. The scene shifts to upstate New York for The Edge Hotel 150 at Adirondack International Speedway in Beaver Falls.

The competition must hope the downtime slows down points leader Ryan Truex, who has won two of the last three races. Matt Kobyluck won last year's Adirondack race en route to the season championship.

REGAL RACER: Agawam's Mike King won for the second time in his last three starts in the 750cc Mini Sprint class at Westfield's Whip City Speedway. King led all 20 laps on July 25 and hung on to win a rare caution-free race.

In the 270cc class, Mark Irving, of Bellingham, picked the right race to enter. Irving, who runs a limited schedule, charged from 18th place to win the double-points feature.

BRYAN'S VICTORY SONG: Bryan Shumway, of Belchertown, captured his second checkered flag of the season in Modified action July 25 at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. Shumway took the lead on a restart shortly after the halfway point of the 50-lap feature.

FRANKIE BABY: Frank Ruocco, of Cheshire, Conn., prevailed in the Carquest SK Modified 150 July 24 at Stafford Motor Speedway. It was pretty much Ruocco's race as he led the final 130 laps for his first victory of the season.

Monson's Jim Peterson and Chicopee's Andrew Durand finished second in Late Models and Limited Late Models, respectively.

PLAYING CATCH-UP: With rain having set things back at Thompson, the track is compensating by having double features in its Sunoco Modified division the next two weeks. Thursday's event had a pair of 30-lap races, while the Aug. 6 card is changing from a single 100-lap feature to twin 50s.

"By changing the 100-lap event into two 50-lap races, we give the competitors one more race in their quest for NASCAR championship points," track owner Don Hoenig said.

Even with all the rainouts, Keith Rocco, of Wallingford, Conn., holds the top spot in the national rankings of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, which encompasses all NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks nationwide. Ted Christopher, of Plainville, Conn., is sixth on the list.

POCONO PICK: Juan Pablo Montoya got the shaft last weekend at the Brickyard, when he got nailed for supposedly speeding on pit road while leading the race. Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 is at a similar type of track - Pocono Raceway. I think Montoya will again be one of the cars to beat, and he's definitely my pick.